LSU takes on Oklahoma; Clemson faces Ohio State
Defending national champions. Undefeated and owners of a 28-game winning streak, longest in the nation. The Clemson Tigers are one heck of a No. 3 seed.
Clemson will play second-seeded Ohio State in prime time Dec. 28 in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, looking to make it three national championship in four seasons.
“We’re just excited to be in it,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who has spent much of the last month playing up how his team was being disrespected by being relegated to third in the rankings after starting the season No. 1.
The other semifinal matches No. 1 LSU and No. 4 Oklahoma.
The selection committee revealed the pairings Sunday, and the final four was no surprise. The only mystery involved which would be the top seed among three undefeated teams that have been hammering opponents most of the season. The 13-member committee went with SEC champion LSU. The Tigers (13-0) will face the Big 12 champion Sooners (12-1) in the Peach Bowl four hours before the Fiesta Bowl kicks off.
Clemson opened as a two-point favorite against the Buckeyes. LSU was an 11 1/2-point favorite against the Sooners.
LSU used a convincing victory against Georgia on Saturday to move up. Ohio State (13-0) had been atop the committee’s rankings last week, but the Buckeyes slipped to No. 2 after coming from behind to win the Big Ten title.
The national championship game is Jan. 13 in New Orleans. The No. 1 seed has yet to win the CFP.
The Tigers and Buckeyes flip-flopped at No. 1 a couple of times throughout the committee’s six weeks of rankings, and chairman Rob Mullens said the debate was similar each week.
“Every weekend one of the them has done something to move above the other,” Mullens, the athletic director at Oregon, said. “LSU’s performance against a No. 4 ranked Georgia compelled the committee to put them just ahead of Ohio State.”
Oregon vs. Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Georgia vs. Baylor in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1., Florida vs. Virginia in the Orange
Bowl on Dec. 30. and Memphis vs. Penn State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 28. round out the rest of the New Year’s Six bowls.
The final four fell into place thanks to the favorites winning their conference championship games and Utah losing the Pac-12 title game to Oregon. The Utes had been No. 5. That left three undefeated Power Five champions, a fourth with one loss and nobody else with a legitimate case to claim a spot.
Clemson (13-0) makes its fifth straight appearance.
LSU is in the playoff for the first time, the only newbie in the field. Quarterback Joe Burrow capped a record-breaking season by throwing four more touchdown passes against Georgia in the SEC title game.
Ohio State is making its third playoff appearance and first since 2016 after just missing out the previous two seasons. The Buckeyes won the first playoff championship in 2014.
The Tigers are 3-0 alltime against Ohio State, all in the postseason. The Buckeyes enter the CFP with a 19-game win streak.
Oklahoma is in the playoff for the fourth time but has yet to win a game. It’s the third straight year the Sooners face an SEC team.